Electrical signal-transmitter.



J. MoFELL. ELECTRICAL SIGNALT RANSMIT TER. APPLICATION FILED APR. 19, 1910.

Patented Nov. 12, 1912.

2 SHEETSS HBBT 1.

J. MGPELL. ELECTRICAL SIGNAL} TRANSMITTER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.19, 1910. 1,044,21 8. Patented Nov. 12, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. 195 19 mmuvn "warren STATES ATENT OFFICE.

JUDSON MCFELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRICAL SIGNAL-TRANSMITTER.

Specification of Letters .Patent. Pat'ented Nov.- 12, 1912.

Application filed April 19, 1910. Serial Noi1556,404.'

the transmission of a code or number signals over an electric line.

One of the salient objects of my invention is to provide a device whereby any desired number within the range of the instrument may be transmitted in such a way that the impulse groups, constituting the digits of a number, are separated by intervals of pro ,termined and uniform duration.

A further object is to provide a construction in which. thevariable signaling is all done by one impulse wheel and appropriate circuitbreakers. 5

Another object is to provide an improved setting arrangement, whereby the apparatus may be quickly and easily set to transmit any desired signal within its range, and further objects" to provide an appartus which will retain'it's adjustment to send the set signal through any number of operations, and until the setting is intentionally changed.

Many other and further objects will become apparent-to those skilled in the art from the following description taken in conjunction withfthe accompanying drawings,

in whichv Figure 1 is a perspective of a transmitter built in accordance with my invention; Fig.

' 2 is an enlarged detail of part 015:?16 motor "mechanism; Fig. 3 is'a plan view,

'th parts in section, of the motor and settin mechanismkand Fig. 4 is a front elevation with parts-broken away.

'In the drawings lOindicates in general a casing, having a face plate, 11, on which .is mounted the frame work, 12, shown as comprising corner posts, 13, and extension posts, 14, supporting in parallel relation three frame plates 15, 16, and 17 A main shaft, 18, extending through the pntire frame is arranged to be driven by a suitable spring motor, 19, housed between the plates 16 and 17, and conventionally shown as embodying the usual Winding arbor 19, hearing the loose gear 19 and acted lipon by spring 19, gear l9 -meshing with a pinion 18 on the shaft 18, and receiving its motion from the arbor-n19 through a ratchet 19%, fast on arbor 19aand the conventional pawl 19, carried ,by' gear 19*. The motor is adapted to bewound-by. a

depressible rack bar, 20, extending-- out through the top of the casing andprovided with a suitable handle, 21, the normal position of the motor parts being determined by engagement of a pin, 23, upon a large gear wheel, 24, carried by shaft, 18, with a notch,

23', in a detent lever, 25, pressed by spring, 26, into normal position for engagement in the pin, and arranged to be moved to releasing position by an arm, .27, rotatable with the winding gear, 19, of the motor 19. The arrangement of the parts is such that when the ratchet bar is depressed, it winds the motor turning the arbor 19 just far enough to cause arm 27 to throw the detent arm 25 out of the path of the'iipin 23, so freeing the large gear wheel, 24, and the main shaft 18 with which it rotates, for one complete free rotation. The runnin down of the motor throws the arm 27 has to normal position, permitting the detent arm, 25, to move forapproximately centrally ward under the presents of its spring to position again to receive the pin 23, thereby to stop the motor after exactly one rotation of the main shaft. For timing of the main motor parts, the large ear, 24:, may be connected with any suita le governor mechanism. I

In the space between the plates, 11 and 15-, the main shaft carries in fixed relation thereto, an impulse or signal wheel, 30, preferably of large diameter, and provided peripherally with a series of notches, 31, of any suitable number, preferably "arranged in regular and continuing sequence throughout an appropriate proportion of the circumference of the Wheel. For some purposes, also, it may be desirable to have arbitrary notches, as thenotch, 32, following the regular sequence of signal notches, and a tooth or teeth 32. Bearing upon' the periphery of the wheel, 30, is a roller, 33, 'of a bell cranklever, 34, acted upon by a spring, 35, which tends constantly to press the roller-bearing arm 34, of the bell crank,

toward the center of the wheel so that each time a notch 31 moves inward an asses roller 33, arm'34' arm 34" moves upward.

. The long arm 34 of the bell crank is ar- 34 is 'depressed'and near the lower limit of its throw said arm 34" strikes the short arm 38 of the'detent, tilting the latter, so that it releases contact spring 36, permitting the latter to spring to normal position, so as to open .the switch. Thus it will be apparent that ,the detent structure holds the switch 3636 closed for a period of time appreciably longer than would be the case if the direct action of lever arm 34" upon switch spring'36 aloniwere depended upon for the maintenance of the switch 36'36 in closed condition. The arm, 34", when depressed may close the grounding switch, 37 -37, one leaf of which is connected, as ShQWIl, to one of the springs, 36-36', and the other leaf being grounded. It will, therefore, be apparent that in the rotation of the notched wheel every time a notch, 31, passes the roller, 33, the switch 36 is closed, and is latched in closed position until the. roller is moved out by the crest between the adjacent notches, and the nose, 34 is thereby occasioned-to release the detent, 38, from looking engagement with the spring, 36. The locking arrangement enables the switch to be held closed positively until the roller is almost on the crest between notches, and

then the switch opens sharply as the detent is withdrawn.

For varying the number signal transmitted by the wheel, I provide a plurality of shiftable devices, each of which may close one or more notches on the periphery of the wheel, immediatelyfollowing the number of notches which it is desired to operate .to cause the transmission of a number-signal digit, and such spacers, as I will term them, I arrange to be set from the outside of the casing, preferably by an arrangement of a plurality of concentric sleeves, each as herein shown, to extend therebeyond in a crest, which, in passing roller 33, will cause bell crank 34 to close the ground switch, 37.

If desired, the arm 41 may have an arcuate extension, 44, for covering all the notches in rear thereof, or if it is desired that the number signal transmitted shall be followed by an arbitrary series of impulses, the are 44 is omitted. The sleeve, 40, extends beyond the front plate, 11 of the casing, and is counterbored, as at 46, to receive a coiled sprin 47, which at its inner end bears against t e bottom of the counterbore, and at its outer end bearsagainst a washer, 48, held in place by a screw, 49, taking into the center of the shaft, 18, so that the spring tends constantly to maintain the sleeve and arc, 41, in innermost osition. A second sleeve, 50, overlies the rst said sleeve, and is provided with 'an arm, 51, carrying a spacer, 52, in arrangement similar to the parts 41 and 42. The outer sleeve 46 has a hub flange, 53, which, when the sleeve is in its innermost position, is just out of contact with the spring, 56, secured to the front plate 11, and provided with a limitation stirrup, 57. The outer sleeve, 50, is provided with a handle, 60, secured thereto as by'screw 60, and carrying a sector plate, 61, provided with an index point, 62, arranged-to sweep over a dial, 63-, upon the face plate 11, so that the point, 62, indicates by reference to figures on the dial 63, the number of notches left exposed between the normal position of roller, 33, or the point at which it ordinarily dwells, and the spacer, 52. The inner sleeve, 40, is provided with a pointer, 67, projecting through an arcuate slot, -'68, in the handle, 60, and having its points properly related to the dial, 69, upon the sector plate, 61, of sleeve 50, so that its relation to the numbers upon said plate indicate the number of free notches between the spacer 42 andthe spacer 52.

- 'To set the apparatus to send a determinate,

number signal, say 31, the parts are positioned as shown in Fig. 4, with. the pointer, 62, pointing to the'figure 3 on the dial 63, and with pointer, 67 indicating figure 1 on dial 69; When the parts are in this position with the spacers 42, and 52 engaging the wheel 30, as shown in Fig. 3, rotation imparted to the wheel, in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 4) causes three free notches, 31,

' spring 47 forces. the-sleeve '40 inward and to pass the roller, 33, thereby to 0 erate the signaling switch, 36-36, three times, then spacer, 52, passes by the-roller, 'then one notch passesthe roller, and :then {follows spacer 42 and the are 44: (if the latter be provided) to prevent the roller from working into more notches 'until the final notch 32 is reached,-when' one arbitrary impulse will be sent if the electrical system in which the device is used requires such operation.

To set anyother signa1,;the handle60 is axially retracted, carrying with it the handle;

65, so as to disengage both ofthe spacers,

59. and 4'2, laterally from the notches of the wheel, the handle, 60, is rotated until its indicating point ()2 desi nates the appropriate number upon the dial 63 to'constltute the tens digit of thenumber signal to be sent, and then the handle (50 is released and the springs, 47 and 56, force the handle 1n ward, carrying spacer 52 into the appro-.

priate notch of the wheel 30. Next, the handle is retracted, withdrawing the spacer, 42 from the wheel, but 'not affectingv the spacer, 52, as the outer-sleeve is held against retraction under such circumstances by the spring-56; then thehandle 65 is turned until itspointer 67 indicates the, desired units number n on-the dial 69, and then, upon release-0 the handle, 65, the

causes the spac a -42.1 g g epapptm priate notch of the wheel 30.

Obviously, by increasing the number of sleeves, spacers, and indicatingdials, the de vice may be adapted for sending numbers of more than two digits. i a \Vhile I have herein described'in some detail an embodiment of-my invention which I have found to be-practic'al and useful, it

will be apparent to those skilled in-- the' art thatmany changes might be made in the embodiment of my invention without de parture. from its spirit andwithin the scope of the appended-claims, What I claim is:

1. In a device of the'characterdescribed, a notched signaling-wheel, a shaftgtherefor,' a plurality'of notch-filling spacers therefor. eaclrsaid spacer being firiedin its 'radiaL-dis-Q tanc'e. ,from the wheel center, iand-jfmovable' rotativly relative to thelzwheelfandfl trans verselyof the plane o theiwheelinto or out ofa thereof? notch p a I, deyice'lof the'fcharacter descri a notched signaling wheel, a sha ftfthereforz' ;.p1ura tyj o e on ,thel hafi mo bl a frame,-,motor mechanism carried b 1 eel,; a' ;shaft-the'refor,' ounted on: said shaft; p I H ta'tiv'elyvorrxtheifshaft i I and'fhaving. an fofis'et end portionftofinterfi in 'andlclosea, selected notch in'th e whee 3.-'Inadevice 'of the ,character'Z'describe axially and rotatably on the shaft, and

spacer members carried by said sleeves, adjustable by movement of said sleeves to engage desired notches in the wheel at will.

"4. In" adevice of the character described,

the-combination'of a switch, a rotatable signal wheel, a shaft therefor, shaft-driving means,"a plurality of concentric sleeves on said'shaft-"movable axiall and rotatably thereon ..and means carrie by said sleeves movable axially to engage or-disengage the wheel, and rotatably to effect variation of the signaling contour of said wheel.

. 5. In a device of the character described,

a notched signal wheel, mechanism for rotating said signaling wheel arranged to. stop in a predetermined position, a plurality of spacers for closing selective notches in the wheel, means for moving said spacers axially and rotatively of the wheel to select and close said notches, and indicating means connected with the moving means for visually ing movable axially and rot-atively relative to the shaft and indicating means, associated with said sleeves, for indicating the effective exposure of said si al'wheel.

In a deviceo the character described, the 'fra m'e, including ,a shaft a-notched s1 aling wheel upon said shaft, a switch associated .withthe wheelg-a lurality of concentric sleeves independent y mounted upon said shaft and extending beyond the frame and movable-"axially, and rotatively; relative to the shaft, s' aces-members carried respectivelyvby said-lfsleeves, and movable there- -w1th to engage"'and--,close selective notches in the 3 wheel, and nr'eans associated with said sleeve for; ind cating the-number and rela- Ltiorr'of notches efi'ectivelyexposed upon the 8.;In a device jo fiithe character described,

he'g combinatiorilo'f a frame, a motor in the ffraiae, meansffor windingithegmotor, means fjfor stoppmg'the motor-in' predetermined pos tion,- arrangedfitobe trippedby the windngf-pean'g anotched lsignal wheel,-'a shaft for"sai d z-;vheel.drivenby:the motor, and proectmgfthrough'ithe}frame, "'a" 'plurality of concentric sleeves j'mounted I upon said shaft foraxial and rotary movements thereon, and

spacers cai'i'ied' by sleeves movable thereby to position to :close desired notches of said-whee controlling the switch and the 10 of the wheel, 1. lockingjdeviceh 9.111 a device ofthecharacter-described, In-testimony whereof I hereunto set my the combination of .a ,frame, a-motor therein, handinthepresence of two witnesses.

a notched signal wheel driven thereby, means JUDSON MCFELL.

adjustable on the wheelfoi' closing (lesjred 11} p notcb'esio yarytt-he signal-setting 'a"swltch, :In the presence ofmeans forlockingthe'switeh in,onepositioh, 'MARIIQALLEN, and means, operable by. the' notehjeehportiop XV. L11 N@ALLEN'.,

Copies ofthis mtteu'tmay beobtilnelllotili'ee nts each; bjjhodi'eislng the Commissioner of Patents, 

